When I first went to Alley Light a few weeks ago, I met a man who was drinking a bourbon, but was a little familiar with Scotches. He told me he was the sous chef at Tavola, which is a restaurant in town I had never been to. I told him of my Scotch-tasting journey, and he told me that his spirit of choice for exploring different flavors and nuances was Amaro. I've never tried an Amaro, and despite years of bartending, actually didn't even know what it was. He also told me that at his restaurant they had the 8 year old Lagavulin; meeting the younger brother of Lag 16 was a long awaited moment that finally happened the other night.There were no particular songs I was able to hear that evening, but the next night some neighbors and I had an impromptu 80's dance party around the firepit, and I heard the classic, Take On Me. It had been a long time, but this song is always a favorite. It's just an all around feel-good song, and it pairs well with the Lagavulin 8 tasting at Tavola - an overall feel-good evening.
Tavola is a very classy little restaurant in the Belmont area of Charlottesville. All of their bar tools are copper; I absolutely love copper, so I was quite impressed with this place immeditely. McCraigan and Steve also work at this bar, and they were both there that night. I don't usually like to go out to meet a new Scotch on a weekend evening, but since two of my friends were joining me, it just worked out that way. They were very busy, but thankfully we arrived after the big rush of the evening, and there was just enough room for us at the bar.
Steve gave in to letting me take his pic this time; he poured me and one of my friends a dram of the Lagavulin 8, while my other friend went with a cognac. There was only one Glencairn glass left, so I got that one, but the other glasses were beautiful in their own right.
First taste revealed a warm and smooth personality with a touch of iodine, and a hint of sour or citrus. Overall there was a light creamy sweetness that I found absolutely delicious.
Adding water softened his nose a bit and brought more sweeetness and vanilla to my attention. For the tongue, the water only made him hotter. The smoke was present, but not overpowering, and he was definitely sweet, but not too much so, as I found his older brother to be.
Lagavulin 8 is one of those Scotches that is only around for a short while. The distillery released this younger version for their 200th anniversary, and I know they won't last for long. I really want to find a way to put him and Talisker Storm side by side though. Regardless, Lag 8 is one of my favorites, for sure. My friend who tasted with me also found him to be a good lad to hang out with. My other friend was not interested in meeting him at all.
She and I started talking about Amaros and I explained to her the very little I knew from what the man at the bar had told me. We got Steve in on the conversation and started asking about all the ways of this bitter, herbal spirit. From the way he described it, it seemed like something right up my friend's alley, so he poured us a taste of a good introductory Amaro.I found it very sweet and lemony up front, but with a strong bitter aftertaste, that I wasn't quite ready for. I was grateful for the introduction, but quickly returned to the conversation with Lagavulin, not wanting to interrupt the chemistry that I was enjoying with him.
My friend liked the Amaro better than the cognac she was drinking though, and she thought she might really get into this type of drink, so we decided we'd come back soon to try some more.
It was a fun, relaxed evening overall - with good friends, great bartenders, fantastic whisky, and a very cool place to be with them all. I'm looking forward to our next visit and seeing what else may be in store.
